Kickin' It!
by tigerballz
Summary: Rukia, a normal student and athlete, is thrown into a world of frenzy when she accidentally gets involved with Grimmjow, an obnoxious criminal! Soon enough she's on the run from the law and the mafia, with Grimmjow right beside her. Will they survive? AU.
1. Tommy Gun, Tommy Girl!

**Kickin' It!  
**by Tigerballz  
Beta: CrazyNinjaPenguin

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach, yo. **  
Warnings: **Very coarse language, guns, mild violence.

* * *

Rukia breathed in deep, the scent of grass and dirt tickling her nose. The soccer field had been recently cut and the soft crunching her cleats made against the ground comforted her. Rukia looked over the vast field in front of her and closed her eyes. At the end of the week a game against her school's rival, the Hueco Mundo academy's Arrancars, would be held right on that field. This event both excited and frightened Rukia. Her team hadn't won a game against the Arrancars for the past five seasons. The pressure of her team's desire to win made Rukia nervous. If she didn't win...

Rukia decided not to think about it. Instead, she turned her attention to the soccer ball in front of her. She had a bit of time to practice till game day arrived, so she didn't want to miss out on any chances to perfect her skills.

With a soft punt she began to kick the ball down the field. She envisioned other players trying to get in her way, running by her sides looking for an opening to steal the ball. With a little fancy footwork, Rukia kicked the ball away from her imaginary opponents. The soccer ball landed about six feet away from the goal. Running towards the goal at full speed, Rukia rammed the side of her foot into the ball, watching as the sphere flew through the air.

"Hah," she said to herself, a bit of exhaustion showing through her tone. She smiled a bit, not realizing her own strength.

Her smile dissipated in moments though, after realizing that she kicked the object right into someone's face.

* * *

Grimmjoww was running down a street alley, his face knotted with frustration. Beads of sweat were running down the sides on his face. Behind him a large man by the name of Yammy was chasing him.

"Get back here, Grimmjow!" Yammy roared, charging at him with the speed that resembled that of an overweight, clumsy cheetah. Grimjoww tried to run a bit faster.

"Dammit!" he cursed under his breath, inwardly abusing himself. If he hadn't been such a cocky bastard about an hour before, he wouldn't be going through this crap. Turning a sharp corner, Grimmjoww knocked over a few trashcans. It was an old trick but Yammy fell for it, literally. Grimmjow laughed as the huge man ineptly tripped over the cans and landed right on his face.

Still laughing, he didn't notice until the last moment that Ulquiorra was standing at the end of the alleyway. Grimmjow stopped short and almost fell. He turned to run back, but Yammy was already up and walking his way. Ulquiorra was closing in on him as well.

"Ahhhh, fuck!" Grimmjow hissed. He looked around him frantically, trying to find a getaway. He spotted the fire escape on the side of the building and grinned wickedly. Running forward, Grimmjow pounced on a dumpster and jumped from that to the hanging ladder by the side of the building. He climbed up the ladder like a hysterical monkey and jumped down behind Yammy. Grimmjow then immediately sprang forward and ran.

"Don't let him escape," Ulquiorra ordered in a deadpan voice. "Mr. Aizen won't appreciate that."

Yammy's eyes filled with fear. He nodded and continued to chase after Grimmjow. The cell phone in Ulquiorra's pocket began to vibrate so he fished it out and opened it.

"Hello Mr. Aizen," Ulquiorra said. "Yes. We are in full pursuit now...no, sir. I'll make sure he dies."

Shutting the cell phone, Ulquiorra took out a gun from his jacket pocket and made sure that he had enough bullets.

Down the street Grimmjow had stopped in front of the Kurakara academy to catch his breath. He turned to look at the school which evoked memories of his high school days. He smirked.

"Those were the days," he murmured. From where he was he could see a short girl playing soccer on the field. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

Grimmjow scowled with jealousy. He remembered the days when he answered to no one and did whatever he wanted. His nostalgic thoughts were interrupted as Yammy's body slammed into Grimmjow, effectively whacking the teal haired man to the ground and knocking out all the air from his lungs.

"Didn't think you'd actually be able to escape the _Espada_, did ya?" Yammy laughed loudly. Grimmjow coughed as he tried to catch his breath. People nearby watched in shock as the teal haired man tried to get away from the larger one. They began to clear the street, not wanting to get into the same position as Grimmjow.

From his location on the ground Grimmjow could see Ulquiorra approaching them. Grimmjow felt his insides start to crumble. He faced the sky and sighed.

"You really made Mr. Aizen angry," Ulquiorra stated, taking the gun out. Grimmjow tried to get up but Yammy kicked him in the gut. Grimmjow groaned. Ulquiorra's fingers played with the trigger of the gun.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to get rid of you."

"You're really gonna kill me? Here of all places?" Grimmjow managed to say, his voice strained. "There's people here, dumbass…"

"I don't think they mind," Ulquiorra stated before he shifted his gaze to some nearby civilians. They immediately looked away in fear and shuffled away from the perimeter.

Ulquiorra turned back to Grimmjow and aimed his weapon. Grimmjow was already praying to God to let him into heaven and alternately cursing Him at the same time. He thought he saw the last few years of his life play out in his mind. He frowned when he looked up at Yammy, disappointed that the last thing he'd see before he died was Yammy's ugly mug.

Suddenly, like a missile from the angels, a soccer ball slammed right into Ulquiorra's face. It knocked him down and sent the gun flying in another direction. Yammy's mouth dropped and Grimmjow's eyes widened. All he saw was an opportunity to escape.

Springing up from the ground, Grimmjow punched Yammy in the balls with all the power he could muster. Yammy's face twisted in agony and he fell over, wheezing and whining for his mother. Grimmjow smiled and was about to run off until the black haired girl he saw on the field got in his way.

"Is everyone alright!" she asked in a panic, looking at Grimmjow to Yammy to Ulquiorra. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"D-did I do all this?"

"Get the fuck outta here!" he yelled at her. _And out of my way…!_

He was about to make a run for it but behind him he heard the click of a gun. Turning around he saw that Ulquiorra was aiming his weapon at him once again. Looking beside him Grimmjow saw the girl was frozen in place.

"You won't get away," Ulquiorra said. "I won't let you get away this time, you pile of trash."

Grimmjow scowled, not at Ulquiorra, but at his surroundings. They were in the middle of a damn street. How the hell was he going to find a way out this time?

"You've been disregarding the rules of the Espada and the boss since day one, but he hasn't done anything till now because he thinks you're 'valuable'," the black haired man jeered through his teeth. "I've always thought that you were a worthless bastard but I haven't killed you yet because the boss wouldn't be pleased about that. But now..."

The light of the sun gleamed over the gun's metal. The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance, but no one moved. Grimmjow stared at Ulquiorra head on but the girl beside him was shivering.

"Alright, Ulquiorra…if it'll make you happy go ahead and kill me," Grimmjow said, gesturing at the girl next to him. "But let this chick go, she's not involved."

"Yes, she is involved," Ulquiorra objected. "She kicked a fucking soccer ball in my face."

Laughter threatened to break Grimmjow's cool facade, but he fought it back.

"Okay then...," Grimmjow said through a smile. "I guess I'll have to-"

In a split second Grimmjow picked up the girl. She screamed in protest as the blue eyed man threw her in Ulquiorra's direction. Bullets whizzed by but Grimmjow was already half way down the street.

* * *

Rukia's head was spinning. All she was doing was practicing soccer but now she was running after the man who had just thrown her into some random person; some random person with a firearm!

"Hey!" Rukia yelled at the teal haired man running in front of her, nimbly weaving through crowds of people to catch up with him. "Wait a minute!"

The man turned his head to see who was yelling at him and abruptly stopped when he saw it was Rukia. Rukia halted in front of him and wasted no time to kick the guy in the shin. He howled in pain.

"WHAT THE FUCK, SHORTY!" he shouted trying to keep his balance while holding his injured leg.

"Why'd you throw me into that guy!" Rukia shouted back. "I coulda died!"

"No shit!" the teal haired man hollered. "It was either you or me, and sorry babe, I kinda like me better!"

Rukia kicked him in the other shin.

"Sonuvafuckingfuck!" the man screeched. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

Almost everyone on the street was staring at the two now, some debating whether or not the authorities should be called. Rukia crossed her arms and frowned, trying to emulate the classic "you-are-worthless" stare that her step brother, Byakuya, had down so well.

"I should be asking you that same question but I already know that anyone with a weird hair color is a fucking nut," Rukia said sharply, the thought of her friends Ichigo and Renji popping into her head.

"Ch, gimme a damn break," the teal haired man scowled while he rubbed his shins in an effort to soothe them. "Hair colors my fucking ass..."

"Whatever," Rukia replied, her arms now on her hips. "I accomplished my goal of hurting you physically for the little fiasco you put me in earlier so I'll be going."

The older man snorted. "Don't let me stop you, princess."

He began to walk off and Rukia was surprised at how nonchalant the man was.

"Hey wait!" Rukia shouted. "Wait a second!"

The teal haired stranger turned his head and raised his eyebrow. It was then that Rukia noticed the tattoo that sat below the man's jaw. The number six in a gothic type print.

"What...what's your name?" Rukia asked.

The man turned around fully then, his grimace curling into a sharp grin.

"Grimmjow," he said. "Jaegerjaquez."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think of this story so far. Your reviews will, of course, encourage me to write! That is all! Adiós!


	2. Stranger Danger!

**Kickin' It!**  
Ch. 2: _Stranger Danger!_

* * *

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez…," Rukia murmured to herself during class. _What a crazy guy._

It had been a day since the whole gun incident and Rukia was still shaken up. She had never, ever had someone point a weapon at her before in her life. Despite the chaotic fear Rukia had felt during the confrontation, it was almost sort of fun.

_Maybe that's going a bit too far. _Rukia thought. It was…

_Different, _Rukia concluded.

Grimmjow was definitely someone different. She had seen some crazy looking guys before, like her friend Renji, and the couple that used to live next door to her, Ikkaku and Yumichika, but Grimmjow took the cake. His spiky hair and blinding smile could be spotted from a mile away. As well as his tan skin. And the tattoos.

Rukia could feel herself blushing and she shook her head. Okay, so she thought Grimmjow was attractive. She tried to not start fantasizing. The guy was some gangster punk and she was a little schoolgirl. It would never work out.

Suddenly, a pink eraser head bounced off of Rukia's forehead.

"Ow!" She yelped, immediately rubbing the spot that got hit. She looked up to see her Chemistry teacher, Mr. Iba, scowling at her through his black shades.

"Look alive, Miss Kuchiki!" He said to her in a stern voice. A few giggles could be heard around the class.

"S-sorry, Mr. Iba," Rukia replied.

The rest of the school day went by slowly until the final bell rang. Rukia departed from her friends and walked with Tatsuki into the girl's gym locker.

"Hey, did you see the shooting yesterday? It happened right by the school!" Tatsuki asked as they were changing into their soccer uniforms. Rukia jumped slightly at the word 'shooting' but answered quickly.

"No, I went home a little early yesterday because I was really tired. I saw it all on the news though!"

Half of that was true. When Rukia got home and turned on the TV, the local news station was already doing a report on the incident. The pale guy and the huge guy apparently got away. A lot of civilians were answering questions and they even showed a little video clip from someone's cell phone.

Rukia almost panicked upon seeing that, but fortunately all the video showed was the pale guy shooting at Grimmjow as he ran down the street.

"I heard it had to do with the _Espada_," Tatsuki said in a low, curious whisper. Rukia blinked at the word.

"Espada? What on Earth is that?" Rukia questioned. Tatsuki's eyes went wide with shock and disbelief.

"You don't know what the Espada is!" she exclaimed. A few other girls in the room turned their heads.

"They're pretty much the most powerful yakuza this side of Tokyo!" a girl by the name of Hiyori piped in.

"It's true!" Tatsuki agreed. "Remember that huge shooting in Hachioji(1) a year back? I heard that happened because the Espada had tried to get rid of one of their rival gangs."

"And you know how there's been this whole drug craze across the country? It's because of the Espada!" Hiyori added.

"Here's something interesting," a girl named Hinamori came into the conversation. "There was this lady I knew named Rangiku. Her fiancé, Gin, was apparently involved with the Espada. Then one day, he just went missing. "

"That happened to one of my cousins!" someone else joined in.

Rukia was very surprised at how many people knew about the Espada. How come she had never heard of them before?

"Alright girls!" the soccer team coach, Soifon, called from the entrance of the gym locker. "Enough with the chitchat, it's time for practice!"

As the team filed out and dispersed across the field, all Rukia could think about was the Espada. Was that Grimmjow guy involved with them? What did he do to cause such a fiasco? Her thoughts were interrupted by Soifon.

"Rukia! Get in focus!" her coach yelled. "The game is only three days away!"

Rukia nodded with determination. What was she doing worrying about that Grimmjow guy and the Espada anyways? They had nothing to do with her and she had a lot more important things to think about. Clearing her mind of everything besides soccer, Rukia started to do her drills with one of her teammates.

As they were finishing up their drills, Rukia noticed that a black car was pulling up by the side of the field. She couldn't see anyone through the tinted windows but she knew there was going to be trouble.

* * *

Aizen had his back facing Ulquiorra and Yammy. With one hand in his pocket and the other toying with two dice, he was staring out of the floor to ceiling length windows of his office. The room was deadly quiet, except for the metallic sound of the two die being rotated around each other. Yammy was shaking while Ulquiorra looked blank. Despite their difference in appearance, the both of them could sense that they were in some deep doo-doo.

"It looks rather pleasant outside, does it not?" Aizen finally said. Aizen turned to face his subordinates. His smiling face instilled both comfort and fear in the two men in front of him. It was more fear than comfort on Yammy's part, though.

"Tell me," Aizen inquired as he sat down at his desk. "How long have the both of you worked for me?"

"Almost a year now, Mr. Aizen," Ulquiorra answered firmly.

"Th-The same goes for me, sir," Yammy stuttered.

"I haven't given you two a break and nor have you both asked for one," Aizen acknowledged. The dice made a sharp sound against the glass desk when Aizen set them down.

"I do believe that the clumsy performance you two made yesterday was because of the lack of rest you've both have had," Aizen explained. Ulquiorra frowned bitterly at the word 'clumsy'.

"So, I've decided to give you two a break. The rest of this week, the both of you are allowed to do whatever you please." Aizen said with a smile.

Yammy looked completely shocked. He didn't expect Aizen to be so benevolent. He really thought he was going to lose a finger or hand today. Or his life.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Aizen!" Yammy couldn't contain his joy. Ulquiorra on the other hand looked stern.

"Are you sure that this is alright, Mr. Aizen?" Ulquiorra asked. Aizen smiled reassuringly to the pale man.

"You both deserve this. You've been very busy little bees."

Once the two left, Aizen ran a hand through his hair. His façade of being a merciful man was getting a bit tiring.

"Why didn't ya just kill 'em?" A voice said from the office entrance. Aizen smirked.

"Now where's the grace in that?" Aizen replied. "Have a seat, Gin."

Gin walked in with his hands in his pockets. He made his way to the couch and seated himself and crossed his legs in a businesslike fashion, his hands still in his pockets.

"That's a nice suit," Aizen observed. Gin's mouth formed into a fox like grin.

"Thanks. It's Armani."

Aizen chuckled. "You're quite the spender, Gin. Cigar?"

Gin nodded and Aizen opened a desk drawer. He took out a box of cigars and displayed it to Gin. Gin took one out and Aizen did the same. As Aizen set the box down, Gin played with the cigar in his hand.

"Gurkha(2)? Now look who's the spender."

After Aizen lit the both of their cigars and sat down in the armchair across from Gin, he rested his face onto his palm.

"Let's start talking business," Aizen announced. "I must admit, I'm a bit worried about Grimmjow."

Gin shrugged. "The boy's just cocky. He'll be crawling back here for more work soon enough."

"No, he won't." Aizen contradicted.

"Oh? An' why's that?"

"He won't need any more work," Aizen replied. "He re-routed the drug shipment."

Gin's eyebrows raised in interest.

"Now where and when did Grimmjow find out how ta do that?"

Aizen let out a breath of air and leaned back. "I don't know. What I do know though is that my product isn't going to be delivered to Manila(3) as I planned."

Gin took a deep drag of his cigar. He watched the smoke float into the air above him.

"So just what do you think we should do now?"

Aizen stared at him, long and hard; the gentle, father-like gaze that he had before dissipated.

"I think we need to find out where Grimmjow is," Aizen said icily. "And I think this girl has some very valuable information for us."

Aizen took out a photo from his breast pocket and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. It was a blurry, black and white photo; a blurry, black and white photo of Rukia.

* * *

Rukia felt sick. She wasn't coming down with a cold or anything but deep down in her gut there was a massive pit of anxiety and fear beginning to swirl. The car she had seen during practice didn't leave until Soifon announced they could go back to the lockers. No one else even noticed the car. Rukia was starting to believe she was just getting paranoid, but she could feel eyes on her. She could feel that she was being watched.

Back in the lockers, Rukia quickly washed her face and got a drink of water from the fountain. She didn't even bother changing out of her soccer uniform. All she wanted to do was go home.

As Rukia stuffed her things in her bag, a note fell out. She picked it up and looked at it. A phone number in messy writing was scrawled across it.

"_Hey," _Grimmjow had said to her the other day. _"Since you saved my life I guess I owe you one._"

Rukia remembered how he ripped some paper from a nearby poster and quickly wrote his number on it. After that they parted ways.

Rukia crumpled the paper and threw it back into her bag. What a horrible guy. He was the one that got her into _his_ mess. Just how was he going to help her now?

"Hey, Rukia! You wanna come get something to eat with Hiyori and me?" Tatsuki asked as she tugged her pants on. "We're gonna meet up with Orihime too."

Rukia slung her bag over her shoulder and shook her head.

"Sorry, but I'm feeling kind of dizzy. I just want to go home," she said. Tatsuki's expression looked worried.

"Oh, ok," she said. "I hope you feel better."

"Thanks," was all Rukia could say in reply.

Before she left, Soifon stopped her.

"Rukia, are you feeling alright?" Soifon inquired. Her tone was firm but caring.

"You seemed distracted during practice. Was it because of that car?"

Rukia felt her insides shift. It was a bit relieving that her coach had noticed the car too, but it kept her thinking of her fears and anxieties.

"Yeah, Coach," Rukia said. "I just…I felt like someone was watching me."

Soifon's eyebrows rose. "Has someone been bothering you, Rukia?"

"N-no, it's just, well…I don't know, I just felt like I was being watched," Rukia tried to explain herself.

"Would you like me to drive you home tonight?" Soifon asked. She was genuinely worried now. She didn't want any of her team members in danger.

Rukia shook her head for the second time that evening.

"I'll be fine!" Rukia reassured her. Soifon crossed her arms.

"Alright," her coach sighed. "But if anything happens don't be foolish. Call the authorities right away."

Rukia rushed home after that. The sun was starting to set and Rukia didn't want to be caught alone at nighttime. The last glimpses of sunshine were beginning to disappear right as Rukia got to her apartment building. When the elevator opening to her floor she ran to the apartment and quickly went inside.

Once she secured all the locks, she leaned against the door and let out a long breath of relief. After setting her things by her room, Rukia changed out of her uniform into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

As she clicked on the TV and sat down on the couch Rukia dialed her brother's number on her cell phone.

"Hello?" he answered with his usual strict tone. Rukia was immediately calmed when she heard his familiar voice.

"Hi, Byakuya," Rukia greeted him.

"Oh, hello Rukia," Byakuya's tone softened a bit. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Rukia replied. "How did the meeting go?"

Byakuya was often away on business trips. He was a very successful businessman and valued by his company. This showed in the furniture and design of their apartment. Persian rugs, polished wood floors, vintage dining table, shiny kitchen appliances; the list went on.

"It was quite tiring," Byakuya began. "I'm trying to get this man's business up and running but he hasn't a clue about good marketing."

Rukia smiled. "I'm sure you'll whip them into shape."

"I sure hope so."

"I'm sorry darling, but I need to go now," Byakuya apologized. "I have a dinner appointment with some associates."

"Wait," Rukia blurted. "When will you be hom-"

"I'll be home by the end of the week," Byakuya interrupted her. Rukia bit her lip.

"Will you be here for my soccer game?"

She could hear Byakuya sigh. "I don't know darling, but I'll try."

After they said their goodbyes, Rukia threw the cell phone on the couch and hugged her knees to her chest. She was going to be alone for the rest of the week. She had done this countless of times before, but not when she was worrying about someone stalking her.

Rukia took in a deep breath.

_I'll be fine,_ she assured herself. _Like Coach said, if anything goes wrong I'll just call the police._

Her newfound confidence went away just as quickly as it came when Rukia heard a knock on the door.

* * *

**Notes**

1) Hachioji is a city located in the Tokyo prefecture. While I was searching places up I was really surprised to find out that Tokyo is a prefecture, not just a huge mother of a city. Man, did I feel dumb.

2) Gurkha is a cigar brand and a really expensive one at that. Their cigars can run from $750-$1,150 USD for only one cigar. A chest of Gurkha Black Dragons costs over $100,000 USD. (I love giving out useless info…) I always imagined that Aizen would be one of those really big spenders, business tycoon types.

3) Manila is the capital of the Philippines. I really just wanted to throw in the Philippines since I'm Filipino, bahaha!

**A/N: **Thanks for reading chapter two! There wasn't much of Grimmjow in this chapter, I know. He'll be making his second big appearance in chapter two though, so stay tuned! Anyways, please review and tell me what you think of what's going on so far. Thanks again!


	3. No More Silly Faces

**Kickin' It!**  
CH.3: _No More Silly Faces_

**Warnings: **Course language this chapter and violence towards furniture.

* * *

Rukia's heartbeat started slow. As she got up and gradually walked to the door it sped up and got faster and faster. She stood on her tippy-toes and looked through the door peephole. Her eyes widened.

She backed away from the door slowly and quietly before quickly running to the phone. Rukia dialed the emergency number and tapped her fingers impatiently on the kitchen counter.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…"

She heard more knocks on the door and the dull sound of phone dialing echoed in her ears. Finally someone picked up.

"Hello, emergency services," said a man's voice.

"Yeah, hi, uhm," Rukia tried to keep it together. "There's these weird guys hanging outside my door and I'd really like it if -"

"I know."

Rukia paused. "Wh…what?"

"Come open the door, will you babe?"

Rukia's whole body froze.

"Oh, and if you're wondering how I answered your call it's cuz I got some really good connec-"

Rukia slammed the phone down. Outside, Nnoitra shut his cell phone with a sigh. He faced his partner, Tesla, with an over exaggerated sad face.

"Can you believe it? She hung up on me."

Meanwhile, Rukia was inside shoving stuff into her bag; her cell phone, some clothes, toothbrush, money. Anything essential, she put in. She looked at her dresser and picked up her hairbrush, accidently knocking over a photo of her and Byakuya. She paused for a moment before putting the picture into her bag as well.

While Rukia tugged a hoodie over her head she heard the front door handle shake. Suddenly, the door was kicked open and Nnoitra was making his way inside. Tesla followed behind him and frowned at the mess Nnoitra left in his wake. The door handle was broken off and the space where it should have been was now jagged wood.

"You're very messy," Tesla stated. Nnoitra snorted and turned to grin at him.

"I like things messy."

Tesla shook his head at his partner's innuendos but followed him into the living room.

"Now where is that brat?" Nnoitra asked no one in particular. "C'mon girly! All we wanna do is talk. Really, no lie."

Nnoitra said all this while opening the kitchen pantry. His lip raised in a half-scowl when he saw no one was in there. At the same time, Tesla was drawing the shower curtains back in the bathroom.

Unbeknownst to the two Rukia was hiding in the closet next to the front door. Her breath was shallow but her heartbeat was racing like a mouse's. Through the wooden blinds of the door she watched as the two men began to wreck the kitchen and living room. They knocked over the lamps, kicked over the coffee table, ripped out all of the counter drawers and poured out their contents. Rukia covered her mouth with her hand. All she was thinking was: _Byakuya is going to be __so__** pissed**._

"These people really have it made, huh?" Tesla said as he pulled the couch cushions from their spots. Nnoitra grunted in reply and opened up the fridge. He took out a soda and popped it open. They were looking for clues, traces, anything that could give them a hint as to where Grimmjow was. This was what Rukia guessed, anyhow. When the men entered, she noticed a familiar tattoo on the side of Nnoitra's neck. It was in the same style as Grimmjow's only this guy's was a five, not a six. They had to be associated.

"I'll check this room," she heard one of them say. "You check that one."

"Why should I check that one? Why don't I-"

"Will you shut the hell up and just check that room!"

"Alright, alright."

She heard them walking away. Rukia slowly slid open the closet door and made her way to slip out the door. Unfortunately for her, Tesla was walking out of one of the rooms just as she was about to escape.

"You know, Nnoitra, I've been think- HEY!"

Rukia jumped in shock and sprinted out the door.

"What's going on?" Nnoitra hollered, poking his head out of a bedroom.

"The girl! She just ran out!"

Nnoitra's face flared with anger. "WELL GO GET HER, SMART ONE!"

Rukia was already down the hall, rapidly pressing the elevator button. She could hear the two men's voices getting louder and louder. Just as Nnoitra and Tesla rounded the corner, the elevator doors shut.

"Shit," Tesla said. "What now?"

"We'll use the stairs and beat her to the first floor," Nnoitra replied.

They really didn't have a choice. The second elevator only went up to the fourth floor due to renovations. Rukia's apartment was on the fifth floor. What the two didn't know was that the stairway was also being renovated at the third floor. Rukia knew this.

The elevator got down to the first floor with a neat _ding!_ Rukia rushed through the lobby and once she was outside she started to run in the direction of the nearest subway. She had to go somewhere safe and stay with people she trusted. She couldn't stay with friends; no way did she want to drag any of her friends into this. She didn't want to go to the police either. Besides, maybe after a few days, everything would settle down and go back to normal. It was a far off hope…but it wasn't impossible.

* * *

"Ninety thousand yen? (1)" Grimmjow yelled. "For this piece of shit?"

Kisuke Urahara covered his ears as Grimmjow continued to scream obscenities. He sighed and took off his hat to run a hand through his hair. He set his hat on the hood of the car that Grimmjow was complaining about. It was a 1997 Volkswagen Vento and besides the few scratches and dents, the fading paintjob, the ripped up seats and the uncanny scent of burrito that remained stagnant in the car no matter how much Febreze Urahara sprayed, the vehicle worked perfectly. There was also the fact that the parking brake didn't work but Urahara didn't mention this to Grimmjow.

Urahara actually liked beat up cars over new, shiny ones. They had more character. They were like grandpas with tattoos; they always had stories to tell and were completely inappropriate. Grimmjow obviously didn't share Urahara's tastes though.

"Lookit this pile of junk," Grimmjow stated as he kicked one of the wheels.

"Hey, watch it!" Urahara snapped as he put his hat back on.

"Look, kid," he said. "The car works. It'll get you where you're going and for only ninety thousand, you're getting a pretty good deal."

Grimmjow sneered at him and looked over the car again. He still thought it looked like shit, but he really didn't have the time or money to go looking for another car. Doing that would just leave more footsteps for Aizen's goons to follow. Exhaling a sharp breath he fished out a wallet from his back pocket and tossed it to Urahara. Urahara turned it over in his hands and smirked.

"This isn't even your wallet," he said to Grimmjow. His eyes looked at him playfully under the shadow of his hat. Grimmjow snorted.

"Whatta you care?" the younger man replied. "There's about eighty thousand in that wallet and some credit cards. The stupid bastard even left his social security card in there."

Grimmjow was referring to the American businessman he had snagged the wallet from earlier that day on the subway. The guy was a yuppie, the over confident type that didn't know keeping all of his money in the same place was a dumbass move. Grimmjow figured the guy had it coming.

"Sounds like an even trade," Urahara approved. He swiped the car's keys from its spot on the wall and walked over to hand them to Grimmjow.

"_Buena suerte _(2)_," _he said before dropping the keys into Grimmjow's open palm.

Grimmjow flicked him off in reply before getting into the burrito smelling car and swerving off.

* * *

It was almost eight thirty when Rukia finally reached her destination. She was near the outskirts of the city where there were more houses than apartment complexes. Walking down the street, she stopped in front of a white and grey house. She really hoped that she didn't go to the wrong place but when she saw a familiar hot pink Buddha statue situated near the front door, she knew she was at the right place.

Rukia rang the doorbell. No one answered so, after a minute, Rukia rang the doorbell again. Again, no one answered. Rukia huffed impatiently before reaching her hand out to ring the doorbell once more. Before her finger even came into contact with the doorbell, the door swung open to reveal an angry and bald man.

"WHAT!" he hollered.

Rukia fell back with a yelp. She looked up, her eyes wide with shock. The man looked down at her with obvious rage in his eyes. His expression changed in a split second when he recognized who it was.

"Heey…," he said, looking Rukia over. "I know you. How ya doing, pixie?"

Rukia let out a breath of relief. 'Pixie' was the nickname Ikkaku had given her years back when she still lived next door to them. He gave her that name because of her small stature. Back then Rukia hated the name but it grew on to her.

"Hi, Mister Ikkaku, sorry for disturbing you," she apologized after she got up from the ground. Ikkaku waved a dismissive hand.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I was just watching some soap ope- I mean, soccer match. What're you doing all the way out here?"

Rukia sighed. "It's a long story."

Inside, the house was embellished with assortments of Thai and Indian decorations. The doors in the house were replaced with hanging curtains, the one to the kitchen made of beads. Multi-colored Christmas lights were wound around the stairway railing. A golden statue of who Rukia guessed was Durga(3) stood beside the entrance door. Her ten golden arms looked as if they were reaching out to greet Rukia.

While Rukia marveled at how grandiose the house was, Ikkaku called to someone upstairs. "Hey, Yumi! Guess who decided to stop by?"

Rukia was busy tracing over the patterns on the Durga statue that she didn't turn around when she heard footsteps coming down the stairway.

"RUKIA!" a voice screeched, making her jump and turn. Her mouth dropped at what she saw.

Standing on red hot, seven inch high stilettos was a shiny and glittery Yumichika. His long legs extended out from a tight black mini dress. Golden bangles and chandelier earrings hung from his wrists and ears. The length of the black wig he was wearing went down past his shoulders and long, colorful fake lashes surrounded his eyes.

"M-mister Yumichika?" Rukia said. She never knew Yumichika was a drag queen, but then again she had only been ten when she last saw him and those certain things weren't often told to children. He always wore those strange looking feathers on his lashes though.

Yumichika pranced over to her, his heels clacking against the wooden floors. With his heels on, he was well over six feet tall. He towered over Rukia when he hugged her, smashing her face against his fake breasted chest.

"Oh, darling, how have you been?" Yumichika asked when he finally pulled away from embracing her.

"I've b-been fine," Rukia stuttered, still in a state of shock. Yumichika noticed her tenseness and laughed.

"I forgot, I never told you I was a drag queen," he said. "Sorry, I was getting ready for tonight. I work at a club in the city – here."

He reached into his bra and took out a business card. As he handed it to Rukia, she noticed his manicured fingers. They were fake of course, but long and red with golden dragon patterns on each nail. Rukia looked down at the bright magenta business card, "Club 99" it said in white glossy, raised letters.

"You should come one day!" Yumichika exclaimed. "We welcome people of all ages, really!"

Ikkaku snorted from his position on the couch. "Get your fake ID ready, Rukia."

Yumichika put his hands on his hips and huffed in reply. He turned back to Rukia and smiled. "So what brings you here, honey?"

Rukia grinned nervously back at him. Half an hour later, the three of them were seated in the living room. Ikkaku and Yumichika lounged on the sofa, Ikkaku's feet rested on the coffee table and Yumichika's feet rested on Ikkaku's legs. There were three mugs on the table, two of them half full of coffee and the third with hot chocolate, for Rukia. Rukia sat straight and alert on a recliner as she told them about her eventful night.

"…and now I'm here," She concluded. She looked up to see Ikkaku with raised eyebrows and Yumichika looking concerned.

"You should have gone to the police station," Ikkaku stated simply.

Rukia sighed. "I know, but I was freaked out and…"

"You wanted to go somewhere that felt safer than a cold, nasty police station," Yumichika finished for her. Rukia nodded. Yumichika knew how she felt. He had been in these situations a countless number of times.

"Well!" Yumichika swung his legs over and stood up. "You came to the right place! You can stay here for tonight. Tomorrow we'll go to the police station and explain everything to them."

Rukia's face brightened. "Really?"

"Of course," Yumichika smiled at her. "There's a guest room upstairs, second room to the left. Make yourself at home. "

Rukia thanked them again before grabbing her things and going up the stairs. Ikkaku looked up at Yumichika, his eyebrows knitted with annoyance and worry. He let out a deep breath.

"First that Grimmjow kid and now her," Ikkaku said. "We really need to stop letting fugitives of the yakuza stay at our house."

Yumichika smacked Ikkaku's bald head playfully before kissing it. His lipstick left a nice, red mark.

Upstairs, Rukia was rummaging through her bag to find her cell phone. She thought it would be a good idea to call Byakuya and tell him what happened. As she pulled out her cell phone a piece of paper fell out. Rukia looked down at it and picked it up. It was Grimmjow's number. She bit her lip angrily.

"Lousy jerk," Rukia mumbled and threw the paper back into her bag. She got up and began dialing her brother's phone number before pausing and turning to look at the crumpled piece of paper nestled with all her other things.

She set down her phone on the bed and reached out her hand for the paper. As her eyes scanned over the numbers, the screeching of car wheels interrupted her thoughts. Rukia could hear Yumichika and Ikkaku talking but she couldn't make out the words. There was rummaging and rustling, the door bell ring and then a familiar crashing sound.

"WHY THE _FUCK_ DID YOU DO THAT TO OUR DOOR?" she heard Ikkaku cursing.

Rukia slowly made her way down the hallway and peeked over from behind the stairway. She gasped at what she saw. There they were again; Nnoitra and Tesla. The front door was in the same condition as the one at Rukia's apartment.

"Where's the chick?" Nnoitra snarled.

"What chick?" Yumichika coolly replied.

"You know who I'm talking about!" Nnoitra's voice escalated. Rukia backed up against the wall. Her heart was beating fast and the same feelings of panic she had felt earlier that night were overbearing her senses. She quietly made her way back into the guest room and took out the paper with Grimmjow's number on it.

* * *

Not too far away, Grimmjow's car was situated in a parking garage. Grimmjow himself was leaning back in the driver's seat munching on a hamburger. He should have been out of town already but there was still a lot of stuff he needed to take care of. One obstacle was getting enough money for his trip. He didn't have a banking account because of his 'profession' so all of this money was hidden away in his multiple apartments across the city. These apartments were all being watched over by Aizen's hawks though, so getting back his money had been a hassle. As in, Grimmjow had to knock some heads.

He was all set now though and ready to go. He figured if he left now he'd be in Nagoya by the following night. Grimmjow smiled to himself and sat leisurely in his seat. Things were going pretty smoothly. Grimmjow's moment of bliss ended quickly when he saw a black car approaching from behind. He didn't even need to see who was in the car to know it was the Espada.

"Shit," Grimmjow sat up straight and wasted no time to put the car in drive and speed off. The opposing car followed right behind him. Navigating through a parking garage at night wasn't an easy task and Grimmjow learned this when he nearly collided into another vehicle. Grimmjow cursed again and sped around a sharp corner. Finally, he was out of the parking garage but the car was still there following closely behind.

"This is just _great_," Grimmjow growled sarcastically, slamming his foot on the gas. Together the cars sped down the city streets, passing frightened civilians and almost causing huge crashes. To Grimmjow's luck, they passed a police car. The police car immediately went into action following the two speeding vehicles, its siren ringing annoyingly.

"THIS IS _WONDERFUL_!" Grimmjow exclaimed, trying his best to lose his followers. As he swerved around another corner, his cell phone began to ring. He cursed and picked it up, struggling a bit to keep the car steady with one hand.

Grimmjow screamed when he answered. "What!"

A feminine voice hissed back at him. "Come save me you lousy jerk!"

* * *

1 – Approximately one thousand dollars in USD.  
2 – "Good Luck" in Spanish.  
3 – Durga is a Hindu goddess. She is the "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" (Wikipedia). And she has ten arms!

**A/N: **Sorry for such a late update! I've been really busy lately. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I want to thank everyone who reviewed. You've all been very encouraging!


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